Much Ado About Natsu
by invisiblemaurader1
Summary: Everyone in Fairy Tail accepts that Lucy and Natsu's friendship just isn't meant to be...except maybe the two people involved. And hey - Natsu's never been one to ignore a challenge. A NatsuxLucy fic. Story rated for later chapters. Chapter 3 WIP.
1. Chapter 1

**Much Ado About Natsu (M)**

**Warnings - This fic _will_ include strong language, substance use/abuse, mild to moderate violence, and scenes of a sexual nature. It will _probably_ include strong violence, and it _may_ contain slash pairings.**

_**ALL RATINGS, WARNINGS, AND GENRES ARE FOR LATER CHAPTERS**_

**Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. Anyone you don't recognize is an OC.**

* * *

**Author's note: Hello! First time on the archives here, as well as my first non-HP fic. This is only chapter one of what will probably be a fairly lengthy story.**** The story is _very_ vaguely based on William Shakespeare's _Much Ado About Nothing__. _And I DO mean _very_ vaguely. Timeline-wise, it takes place in ****about X797/X798, and Lucy is about 24, give or take a few months. Natsu is within six months of Lucy's age. Feedback is always appreciated. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Did you hear the news?" Mirajane asked excitedly as she expertly slid drinks down the bar. "Erza, Gray, and Natsu are finally coming back!" Since this was the fourth time she'd announced the same thing since that morning, very few people present paid very much attention to her.

Lucy Heartfilia, hearing the news for the first time, nearly fell off her bar stool. Such a dramatic action couldn't help but catch Mirajane's eye, and Lucy did her best to look innocent and bored. "Really?" she asked politely. "That's nice. They've been gone for quite a while, haven't they? I'm sure Juvia will be ecstatic. In fact, I'll go tell her right now!"

"Juvia thanks Lucy-san from wanting to share the news, but that will not be necessary." a voice came from beside Lucy's elbow. She whipped around to find the water mage grinning happily. "Juvia heard from Gray-sama himself just this morning."

Lucy couldn't resist a small eye roll. "Juvia." she said in a deadpan voice. "We've known each other for seven years. How many times do I have to remind you that you don't have to add the _-san_?"

"And how many times do _I _have to remind _you_ that this whole thing between you and Natsu is just silly?" Mirajane interjected. "They've been gone for over a year. It's okay if you missed him. Honestly, I'd be worried if you didn't – he's your best friend, after all."

Lucy smiled brightly – so brightly, in fact, that anyone who wasn't looking for it would miss the flash of misery in her dark eyes. "Oh, things are certainly less interesting without the three of them around causing chaos." she said noncommittally. "So yes, of course I miss them. But Natsu's not my best friend." Here she giggled infectiously. "You two are – well, you two and Levy-chan, I mean."

Though she enveloped the other two young women in a hug, the expression on Mirajane's face clearly stated that she wasn't nearly done yet.

"Don't be like that, Lucy." she said softly. "All I want is for you two to stop being so pigheaded, that's all."

"Juvia must concur. While she is glad to be such good friends with Lucy-san now, she must hope that Lucy-san mends her ties with Natsu-san soon. Juvia is afraid that Lucy-san cut ties with Natsu-san so that she could be closer to Gray-sama." The water mage smiled at Lucy, but there was enough ferocity behind it that Lucy couldn't be sure whether or not she was actually serious.

"Don't be silly, Juvia." Lucy smiled back. "First off, I didn't cut ties with Natsu – we're just not as close as we were. And secondly, even if I wanted Gray – which I don't – and you were okay with it – which you aren't – I wouldn't go for him. The only woman _he's_ interested in is you."

The three women smiled at the undeniable truth of Lucy's statement. "Just be nice to him, okay?" Mirajane ordered.

Lucy shot her another grin as she walked away. "I'm always nice." she said brightly. "You just worry too much, Mira. Now, being as I _am_ so nice, I volunteered to watch baby Galex while his parents are on a mission today, so I need to run. I'll catch you both later!"

Before Juvia or Mirajane could get a word in edgewise, Lucy had disappeared. Mirajane sighed as she thought more about Natsu, Lucy, and everything that had gone wrong between them. "Juvia, we _have_ to put a stop to their idiocy." she groaned.

"Juvia agrees. This has gone on long enough." the pretty mage concurred. "What do you suggest, Mira-san?"

For the first time, the older woman smiled genuinely. She slipped out from behind the bar and linked arms with the other woman. "Well, I _do_ have a few ideas. Let's go to my office and discuss it."

* * *

As Lucy urged Galex's parents along, she had to suppress a great deal of agitation. Levy, while one of her closest friends, was proving to be a fiercely overprotective mother, and even the slightest sing that all of Lucy's attention wasn't firmly focused on Galex would make the young woman refuse to leave. From the glares Gajeel was sending her way, Lucy figured her friend's husband wanted to go on a mission no matter what, and if that meant tying Lucy to a chair in the tiny nursery and dragging his wife out the door, he'd do it. It wasn't that Gajeel was so eager to leave his new baby. From the moment Levy had announced she was pregnant, he'd been the picture of a doting father. They'd both dropped everything when Galex was born four months earlier. The dragonslayer was very attached to his little boy, but he was starting to get antsy from the lack of activity. Lucy couldn't blame him.

"Levy-chan." she interrupted her friend's nervous tirade. "We'll be _fine_. Galex was fine when we did the run-through last week. I have all of your emergency contacts. We're just a few minutes away from the guild in case anything happens that I can't immediately handle – which it won't. So go. You two go kick some monster butt. I promise, by the time you get home, Galex will be sleeping soundly and your house will still be standing. Plus, Erza and the other will finally be back. I _know_ neither one of you wants to miss their homecoming. Now hurry up or you'll be late!"

Gajeel shot a silent glare of thanks in her direction as his pretty wife finally mustered up the willpower to leave the house. Lucy waved goodbye to the two of them as they left, their figures gradually getting smaller and smaller, until finally they were out of sight.

She grinned happily at the gurgling baby in her arms. "C'mon, Galex. Time for some fun with your Aunt Lucy!"

* * *

In two hours, Lucy had fed, burped, bathed, and changed little Galex. They'd played with some stuffed animals (dragons, naturally) for a while, and she'd amused herself by picking the happy baby up and making silly faces at him. She told him stories about his parents and they both had a lovely time until she determined it was time for his afternoon nap. He was now lying quietly in his crib while she sat in the nearby rocker, a small frown marring her pretty face.

Before, she'd been able to keep her thoughts at bay. Now that she was essentially alone, she felt herself falling victim to the foul mood that had been threatening her since the moment she first heard Natsu was coming back.

* * *

_It wasn't always like this, _she thought sadly as she stared out of the nursery window. She and Natsu _had _been best friends, though it felt like a lifetime ago.

They'd been practically inseparable. They went on every mission together. He slept at her apartment more often than not. They ate together, laughed, together, cried together. She yelled at him for picking fights with Gray and he yelled at her for not taking better care of herself. It had been the perfect friendship. But all that had started to change nearly four years earlier.

At first, the changes had been entirely natural. Natsu wanted to go out on fewer and fewer missions – he told her that he wanted to focus more wholeheartedly on training so that he'd be ready for the S-class exam. That had been okay with Lucy – there was nothing stopping her from teaming up with Erza, Gray, or Juvia. If she wanted, she could go out with Levy and Gajeel (though only if she was desperate – the tension between the two was palpable and unbearable), or hosts of other people in the guild. If she was feeling particularly savvy, she could even take a solo mission or two. Without Natsu there, she actually made more money – she didn't have to constantly pay most of her reward back to customers angered by his destructive tendencies – and she had a chance to really test herself as a mage. It was a good opportunity for both of them.

He still spent a great deal of time in her apartment, and that was okay too. After all, she was used to seeing him every day and spending nearly all of her time with him. There was no real reason for that to change just yet.

They'd gone on in much the same fashion for nearly a year before things really started to change. Natsu and Gray both passed their S-class exams. According to Master Makarov, he _had _to pass them both at the same time. Otherwise, they'd destroy the guild, not to mention each other, in their rivalry.

While Lucy was happy for her two friends, it meant that she was now the only one in their little group who _wasn't_ an S-class mage. It embarrassed her just a little for them to purposely pick lower-paying, less difficult missions so that she could still come along with them. And when they _did_ leave her behind, she always felt like she was being punished for something. Knowing she was being ridiculous didn't make her feel any better.

Finally, about two months after the exam, Lucy told her friends that she was leaving Team Natsu – permanently. Though they'd tried to talk her out of it, she refused to back down. It was best for all of them – she would no longer feel like she was being a nuisance, and they wouldn't be held back because of her.

Natsu had been remarkably cool to her for the next two weeks or so. It seemed like every time she entered a room, he was just leaving, and any time she tried to speak to him he was suddenly "too busy." Mirajane had advised Lucy to leave him alone for a while, and that seemed to work. He did eventually forgive her, but there was always an awkwardness to their interactions, one that hadn't been present before. But they managed well enough for a while.

Then, it seemed, Natsu discovered the irresistible lure of women. To Lucy's amusement, he spent every other week chasing after someone new. He went on date after date, and Lucy looked forward to hearing about them. Natsu, for all his sudden passion for the female form, had no idea how to deal with women, and Lucy enjoyed both his squeamishly awkward encounters and helping him to avoid making the same mistakes twice. He came to her any night he didn't have a date. She gave him advice and laughed at him, and their friendship finally seemed to be back to normal once more. Lucy was truly happy.

Until Lisanna. Lisanna was the last straw, the one that broke her friendship with Natsu beyond repair. After Lisanna, there could be no going back, no matter how much she might wish it from time to time.

Lisanna had spent years trying to get Natsu to give her the time of day. Everyone but Natsu knew it. For her, a childhood crush had very quickly turned into something else entirely, and Natsu was the only one who still considered them childhood sweethearts and nothing more. Lucy had watched on for the last three years as Lisanna tried everything she could think of to get Natsu to realize the depths of her feelings. It was sweet, and Lucy had been tempted more than a time or two to hurry things along. However, she'd promised Lisanna that she wouldn't meddle. After all that time, it seemed she didn't even need to.

Lucy never quite knew what it was that flipped the switch, but after years of viewing Lisanna as just a friend, something changed for Natsu. He chased her relentlessly, and she let him catch her. The night after their first date, Natsu told her that he knew Lisanna was the one for him.

Lucy was happy for him. She really was. He and Lisanna fit together, and they made each other happy. It was a good thing. But the longer they dated, the more time they spent together. Lisanna wasn't an S-class mage either, but she became a part of Team Natsu. Natsu started eating his meals alone with her rather than in the large, happy group she'd become accustomed to. As the weeks went by, Lucy found that those nights where Natsu would sneak in through her window just to talk, just to spend time with her as a friend, happened less and less often. Soon, they were non-existent – the time he'd once spent with Lucy, Gray, Erza, Juvia, and all of their other friends was now devoted entirely to Lisanna.

And Lucy realized she was lonely. She couldn't be with Natsu on missions. She couldn't be with Natsu when he wasn't. Natsu just didn't have any time for her anymore. She'd been completely replaced, and so gradually that she couldn't even really protest. Pointing it out to Natsu would have made him sad, and pointing it out to Lisanna might make her feel Lucy was trying to steal him away, so Lucy did the only things she could.

She threw herself wholeheartedly into missions She spent more and more time with Levy and Mirajane, finding that the two cheerful young women made her forget some of her sadness. But Levy, like Natsu, was in love. She and Gajeel had recently become engaged, and they were deliriously happy. Levy spent most of her time building a family, a _life_ in her mind. And Mirajane, though zealous in her mission to see every guild member in love and spewing rainbows everywhere they went, might not be so keen to interfere with her sister's happiness on someone else's behalf.

So Lucy turned elsewhere. She took a page out of Natsu's book and dated someone new every night. She learned to like alcohol and how it made her feel, even though she'd previously despised it. She'd grown used to a rotating crowd of unsavory people sleeping on her couch and in her bed. She spent money she didn't have on clothes she didn't need. And she kept her window locked.

She told herself she was fine, and laughed off the concerns of her guild mates when they were foolish enough to voice them. Nothing was ever wrong. Everything was always great. If it felt like her skin didn't fit and her smile was too wide, well, that's how things were sometimes. She could handle it. She could handle anything.

"What's your problem, Lucy?" Natsu had finally asked one day as she sat at the bar, a half-empty glass in her left hand. It was barely noon, but she had already had quite a bit to drink.

"I don't have a problem." Lucy said clearly, not a single feature betraying her shock. She and Natsu hadn't exchanged anything but the most cursory greetings in five months. She still maintained that she had everything well under control, but she was secretly pleased that he still cared about her. Maybe they hadn't let everything fall to ruins.

She felt rather than saw his frown. "Don't lie to me, Lucy." he said sternly. "You haven't been acting like yourself. Mira and Erza are worried about you. Whatever it is, you need to snap out of it."

That small, selfish part of her, the one that had been pleased at his concern, the one that said they were friends no matter what, broke. Natsu wasn't actually worried about her himself. If he had been, he would have been on her case months ago. No, he was just upset at how she was making his _real_ friends feel. Before, he would have demanded she tell him all her problems and he would have tried to help her in whatever way he could. Now, he just wanted her to _snap out of it_ so he could pay attention to more important things.

"My, my." she said sourly, knocking back what was left of her drink. "How unlike you to notice." The words tasted bitter even to her, and she immediately wished them unsaid, but there was no such luck.

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" He raised one brow in obvious annoyance, and his voice, though admittedly quiet by his standards, had several people turning to stare at them.

Lucy shrugged, though the motion cost her. "You're never around." she said casually, as if it didn't matter to her in the slightest. "You're usually with Lisanna. And when you _are _here, you never bother to speak to me past 'hello,' or maybe 'how's it going?' if I'm lucky." She studied her nails for a moment, hoping to disguise the catch in her throat. "It's obvious I'm not important to you any longer, so I'm just shocked you even have the ability to notice that there's anything different about me."

He practically snarled at her. "_Seriously?_ _That's _what this is about?" Natsu's voice was razor sharp, and he used it like a weapon, slashing away at her mercilessly. "I can't believe that you, of all people, could be so jealous that you made yourself sick!"

Lucy's jaw dropped. "I'm _not_ sick." she insisted. "And jealous? Jealous of what?"

His sneer dripped with venom. "Yeah, jealous." he spat. "You can't _stand_ me being interested in any girl other than you. And you can't _stand_ being too weak of a mage to tag along with the rest of us any longer."

An eerie hush fell over the entire guild. Any eyes that hadn't already been locked on the feuding pair of mages immediately swung in their direction.

Lucy felt all of the color drain out of her face. Apparently, something in her expression showed some hint as to how she was feeling, because within seconds, Mirajane stepped between the two of them. "Maybe you two should take this somewhere with a little more privacy." The woman chewed nervously on her lower lip. "I'm sure you'd rather everyone not hear this."

"It's okay, Mira" Her smile must have passed muster, because the other woman silently stepped back. "This won't take long."

"Look, Lucy…" Natsu began, but she cut him off without mercy.

"Oh, no." she said quietly, her voice viciously calm. "I'd rather everyone hear this now so nothing gets misreported by the gossip. So let's be perfectly clear." Something in her eyes made Natsu shudder. "For the record, you think I'm upset with you and I've 'made myself sick' because I'm jealous of Lisanna. More importantly, you think I'm jealous because I harbor romantic feelings for you, correct?"

Natsu stared uncomfortably at the floor. "Um. Yes." he said softly, his face flaming with embarrassment.

"Fine." Lucy waved that away carelessly. "In addition, you think I'm jealous because you're a far better mage and probably always will be." At the uncomfortable silence, she gave a heart-stopping grin, one so full of venom and hurt pride that even Master Makarov, seated twenty feet away and watching raptly, gave a small shiver.

"I'm sure you're _dying _to figure out once and for all just how poor, powerless Lucy feels." she said mockingly. "That way you'll finally know what distance it's best to keep, and whether you can still be friendly towards pitiful Lucy, or if it's in her best interest to cut things off completely." Seeing something akin to agreement on Natsu's admittedly confused features was the last straw.

Lucy put all of her strength behind the punch she delivered to his face. There was a satisfying crunch and a sudden spurt of blood from his nose. Good. She hoped she'd broken it. He stared up at her from where she'd knocked him to the ground, and her expression turned fierce.

"You" she enunciated clearly, for the entire guild to hear. "are a bastard. All I wanted was my best friend back. S-class or not, single or not. None of that _ever_ mattered to me. All that mattered was that you were my _friend_." At those words, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They made dirty paths down her cheeks, and Natsu looked terrified. It wasn't enough.

She turned towards him once more, voice suddenly quiet. "I just wanted a few minutes of your time every now and then. I could have been happy with that, as long as my friend was happy. But now that I know just how low your opinion of me is, it's obvious that I'm the only one who thought we were friends in the first place. So here's your answer, Natsu Dragneel. Cut things off completely. You broke pitiful little Lucy's pitiful little heart, and there's nothing you can do to fix it."

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice suddenly rang out as he scrambled to his feet, his expression horrified. Blood dripped through his fingers as he clutched his face. "Lucy, wait! I – "

He never got a chance to finish his statement. In a flurry of movement, she was gone.

For the next two weeks, she didn't leave her apartment. Mira, Erza, and Levy came by every day to bring her groceries and check up on her, but she usually refused to talk to them, preferring to lock herself in her bathroom until they gave up and left. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the support. She just wanted to be alone so she could sort out her feelings.

It seemed that the three women had finally gotten the hint. That afternoon, Mira had called out to announce her presence. Lucy immediately locked herself in the bathroom and started running the shower. From the other room, she heard sounds indicating Mirajane was putting things away and tidying up. "Lucy?" her voice came from inside the bedroom. At the usual lack of response, Mirajane gave a sigh. There were several seconds where nothing else was said, although Lucy could hear the sound of footsteps. She assumed her friend was pacing back and forth, wondering whether or not to push harder and _make_ her talk.

She felt ashamed all of a sudden. Just as she was about to swing the door open and apologize for being such a horrid creature, her friend spoke again. "Let me know if you need anything, Luce. And come back soon. We all miss you."

With that, Lucy was alone once more. She told herself that it was a good thing – she needed to work out all of her issues before she could be around people once more. Truth be told, she was lonely again, and sad. She thought briefly of summoning one of her Spirits to combat the loneliness, but quickly decided against it. Loke and Plue were the only ones she could stand to see at the moment, and Loke was too close to the rest of Fairy Tail. She just didn't want to drag him into the whole mess. And Plue? It was one of his days off, so he was out too.

That left her with no other options. She'd read every book in her apartment. She didn't have the heart to write. She'd already cleaned her apartment. It was clear she was going to have to leave the house again soon, but for now, she just wanted to close her eyes and have everything fade away.

With that in mind, she slipped between the clean sheets of her comfortable bed and hoped for blissful darkness. Within minutes, she was asleep, but dreams pursued her. A salmon-haired mage chased her endlessly, no matter how hard she tried to escape. She could feel his body heat from around the corner, and sense the fierce glare in his eyes, even if she couldn't see them.

Suddenly, Lucy shot bolt upright in her bed. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed that it was dark outside. Her curtains were open, and she could see the bright light of the moon through the…open window. That could mean only one thing. Mirajane was meddling again.

The silver-haired mage had to have unlocked her bedroom window earlier that afternoon – Lucy had made sure it was securely fastened for months now. All to block out one person…a person she could currently hear snoring faintly from the chair next to her dresser.

She leaped out of bed and shook the sleeping mage by the shoulders. He woke instantly, staring up at her with dark, unhappy eyes.

"Why are you here?" she demanded. He stretched roughly.

"The window was unlocked." Natsu said simply, confirming her suspicions. She was going to _kill_ Mira. "I needed to talk to you."

A sneer flew across her face. "I don't feel like talking. Get out." Lucy retorted, turning to walk away and be done with him once and for all.

He snagged her by the wrist. "Please." he whispered hoarsely. A glance at her face told him she wasn't even going to give him a chance, so he tried harder "Just ten minutes."

Lucy pretended to smother a yawn. "I'm through giving you chances, Natsu. Now get out, or I'll sic Erza on you."

"Erza's already on my case!" he said desperately. "I've been trying to talk to you for the last two weeks, but you never leave here, and I figured you wouldn't like me breaking into your apartment."

"And yet, here you are." she interjected.

"According to Erza, I can't set foot in the guild until you come back with me." he said quietly. Against her own volition, she felt her will weakening. If she didn't get him out of her apartment in the next minute or so, she was going to forgive him. And that would break her heart more than he already had.

"Why should I care?" she threw back at him. "From the very beginning, I never mattered a single jewel to you unless you could gain something somewhere from being around me."

"Lucy." Natsu said her name desperately, still refusing to relinquish his hold on her wrist. "_Please_."

Cursing herself for being weak, she wrenched her wrist from his grasp and walked until she ran into her bed. She arranged herself at the foot, arms crossed over her chest, and stared at him blankly. "Five minutes. That's all."

Almost immediately, he launched into an impassioned speech. He apologized over and over again, beating himself for being a fool and an idiot and, above all, a horrible friend. She almost fell for it. Almost. But she knew that he was just trying to get her forgiveness so he could feel better about himself, and hopefully gain re-entry into the guild he loved.

As it was, even she felt sorry for him. He'd crossed a line, and normally she could forgive that. This time, things wouldn't be so easy.

"Stop." she said wearily. "Just stop. You feel bad? You _should_. All I wanted was your friendship. You forgot all about me, and I told myself I understood. You were in love, and everything was new and shiny and all about her. But love stopped being an excuse a long time ago, Natsu. I didn't expect to get as much of your time as before. But you made it _very_ clear that I wasn't even worth the few minutes out of your day that I hoped you could spare for me. That was my mistake. And I could have even forgiven you that. It could have been just another phase in our friendship. But however much you may protest it now, you think I'm weak." Lucy's eyes dared the young fire mage to disagree. "A part of you, how big I don't know, could only think about how weak I was, and what a _liability_ I could be, any time I was with you. I'm not strong like you, and I don't have a great deal of magical power. But I'm not useless. I do just fine on my own. I was fine on my own when you suddenly decided I wasn't worth your time any longer. And I'll be fine now. I'm just smarter now."

"Please, Lucy." Natsu's eyes were troubled. "I know you can't forget what I said. I just want to know if you'll give me a chance to prove you wrong about all of the things I know you're thinking right now."

Lucy stared at him for a moment before she shook her head. "I can't trust you. I can't trust you to be there for me when I'm hurting. I can't trust you to trust _me_. Not right now, at least. I did my best to be a good friend, and you didn't even try. How are we supposed to come back from that?"

He growled in frustration. "I don't know!" he finally admitted. "But I can't figure it out if you won't let me try!"

The smile she gave him was painful to see. "I think it'd be better for both of us if we just move on. I'll help you get back in Erza's good graces, but that's all I can promise you. We can't just go back – trust has to be earned, on both of our parts. But I'd like you to leave me be, as much as you can. I need some time to sort through things."

To her relief, he had agreed, although it had taken some effort on her part. True to her word, they'd walked into the guild together the next morning. She did such a good job convincing everyone else that they were working on their issues that even Mirajane believed her. After a few weeks, she told Natsu to start coming to her apartment during the night again – she was pretty sure Erza, Mira, and Levy were spying on them to see if things had really improved or not. She had to hand it to them – they knew her, and they could almost always anticipate her next move.

He started spending the night at least once a week after that. He slept on her couch, and Happy split his time between the two of them. Gone were the days when they could tell what the other was thinking, when words were superfluous. During the days, when appearances were everything, they were as close as ever. But in the soft light of the moon, they were almost strangers. It was easier that way.

Gradually, they drifted further and further apart. Natsu started loudly proclaiming his desire to take a long mission. Lucy talked about training more. People began to expect them to be apart once more, and the strain at the edges of Lucy's smile started to disappear. Finally, six months after he'd shattered their friendship, Natsu left with Erza and Gray on what was supposed to be a five-year mission. Lucy didn't say goodbye.

* * *

Now, more than a year later, he was coming back. In the time he'd been gone, Lucy had quit drinking almost entirely. She had begun spending a great deal of time with Juvia – the water mage was very lonely with Gray gone, and they'd found they had a great deal in common. When she wasn't out on missions, she spent most of her time reading or working on her still-unfinished novel. She didn't date, even casually. Her life was finally back on track.

Of course, it wasn't without trials. Mirajane had never accepted her "breakup" with Natsu. The fact that Lisanna had broken up with him just a month after their now-infamous fight just added fuel to Mira's fire. She saw no reason why the two mages couldn't just pick up where they left off from, and Lucy didn't have the heart to explain. Instead, she did her best to become mysteriously scarce any time the three mages came up in conversation. She did her best not to think about them, one pink-haired man in particular. And, until today, she'd never let Natsu's name pass her lips. Not even once.

But today he was coming back.

Lucy sighed as Galex began to fuss. Lost in her memories, she hadn't even noticed as the sun began its descent. She silently prayed the little boy hadn't been awake for long and rushed over to him. For the rest of the evening, she'd think only of the baby she was watching, and how to make him the happiest baby a pair of returning mages ever did see.

There was time enough to think about Natsu tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: And there's chapter 1. I hope you enjoyed it! For anyone wondering - this story is a romance/humor one. Though there will be drama, humor is more important. This will become more obvious once the first few chapters are out of the way.**

**If you've got the time, I'd love some feedback. Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

For perhaps the first time in his life, Natsu Dragneel wasn't sick in a moving vehicle. Sure, he didn't exactly feel like doing cartwheels all across the aisles, but his stomach wasn't churning. His face wasn't green as he stared out of the small compartment's window. His skin wasn't slicked with sweat from the sheer effort of trying not to pass out.

He had always suffered from motion sickness – at least, he had since the beginning of his memories. And he'd come to accept that motion sickness was simply a part of him that couldn't be changed. For whatever reason, today appeared to be the exception that proved the rule. Natsu wasn't quite as clueless as the rest of the world seemed to believe. He would probably never win any awards for his brain, but he did in fact know how to use it. And even _he_ knew that this sudden disappearance of his transportation-induced illness wasn't likely to last long.

Truth be told, Natsu barely even noticed the lack of nausea. He was more occupied with the churning of his mind than he had ever been with that of his stomach. He was so occupied, in fact, that he didn't even notice the snickers of his two companions as he watched the scenery fly past.

He _did_, however, notice them when he found himself suddenly lying on his back on the floor of their compartment.

"Oww." The salmon-haired mage groaned as he slowly sat upright. His head, already hurting from the weight of his thoughts, throbbed from hitting the cold floor. Judging from Erza's blank stare and Gray's prominent grin as he flopped back onto his seat, they were both taking great enjoyment from his discomfort. "What was that about?" he complained.

Erza raised one scarlet eyebrow. "I was talking." she said, as if that explained anything. "You weren't listening. I felt that behavior should be corrected."

Natsu shivered in spite of himself. One glance at Gray confirmed that the other man was suffering from the same disease – one Natsu not-so-affectionately referred to as Holy-fireballs-Erza-is-a-fucking-nutjob-get-me-out-of-here Syndrome. "Err…" he gently cleared his throat. "Right. Sorry 'bout that."

Gray snickered again. "She got so annoyed that she let me teach you a lesson, hot head."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the shove – or was it a kick? I really owe you one, man." Small flames flickered at his wrist as he spoke.

"No, that was me." Erza clarified. "Gray is only responsible for the…rather extensive use of your body as an art canvas."

Natsu was confused for a moment. Then, taking a hint from their pointed stares, he glanced down. What he saw was almost enough to make him fall over.

Every square inch of visible skin was covered in graffiti, doodles, and more than one obscenity.

"What the fuck?" he yelped. Apparently, Erza took offense at his language – she immediately punched him in the gut. "Geez, you guys." Even Natsu could hear the whimper in his voice, but he couldn't manage to hold it back. "Why am I a walking art exhibit, exactly?"

Gray's smirk was so pronounced that it was all Natsu could do not to punch him in his stupid ugly face. "We did warn you." The relish was evident in his voice. "S'not my fault you didn't notice."

"Although I too believe Gray went overboard, he did indeed warn you. He stated his intentions beforehand, and quite frequently during the process as well. You didn't even blink."

"I was thinking." Natsu very deliberately avoided the gazes of his two companions – he was suddenly fascinated with the blurred landscape outside the compartment window. Even with his eyes firmly planted elsewhere, he _knew _the two of them were staring through the back of his head.

"Natsu." Erza said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Natsu flinched automatically; he was used to Erza's touch indicating a sudden loss of blood, motion, or consciousness on his part. It took him several moments to realize that she was being gentle with him. _Erza Scarlet_ found it necessary to be _gentle_ with him. That didn't stop her from exerting the slightest bit of pressure on his shoulder, and he found that he immediately knew what she wanted. He slowly turned towards his companions, and their expressions made him want to quickly turn away once more.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep the short question as neutral as possible.

Erza smiled, again gently. "You don't have to worry so much. She doesn't hate you."

"Who doesn't hate me?" Natsu asked, fully aware of Erza's point. It was a game they played, one that allowed him to keep some of his pride while still broaching the subject of the one person he couldn't forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"Oh, come off it." Gray said sourly as he chucked a pair of dirty socks at Natsu's face. The dragonslayer gave a low warning growl, but otherwise said nothing. "Lucy, you idiot. It's _always_ Lucy. Who the hell else could it be?"

Erza shot him another fierce glare. "Don't interrupt, Gray. And kindly put your pants back on." Natsu knew that he _had_ to be out of it if he hadn't even noticed Gray stripping like the weirdo he was. "Natsu, as Gray so eloquently pointed out, we were discussing Lucy. She doesn't hate you. I don't think she's even capable of it." She paused for a moment, but when it became clear that he wasn't going to interrupt, she continued. "Things will be…different…but you're her best friend. You'll work things out."

Natsu smiled glumly. "I wouldn't be so sure of that." he muttered, turning once more to the window and the thoughts that consumed him.

* * *

He'd been gone for fourteen months and six days, give or take a few hours. And during each and every one of those days, his thoughts had been consumed with Lucy. Every day, he wondered if it was finally the day she'd forgive him once and for all. He wondered if he'd know when she had, even with all the distance separating them.

He wondered if he deserved to be forgiven.

Natsu had never been the type of person to dwell on such things. His life had always been dominated by what was black and what was white. There were no grey areas, nothing that could cause confusion. Until Lucy, and the way he'd spectacularly ruined the one relationship he never even thought to worry about. His head said that she had to forgive him – she _had _to. She was his best friend. His partner. The one he went to when he was bored or lonely or excited. Friends forgave one another, even when one friend was an idiot beyond all measure. It was a rule. She could torment him, tease him, work him to the bone – whatever would prove he was worthy of her trust, her regard. But once he proved himself, they were supposed to be _them _again.

Natsu's heart was much less certain. He'd screwed up. He'd destroyed what they were. He _knew_ they could rebuild. But it wasn't up to him, and his heart knew that Lucy was under no obligation to welcome him back into her own. Despite what Erza had told him time and time again while they were gone – that Lucy would forgive him, that things would work out – he knew things couldn't be so simple.

He couldn't pinpoint the day or time things had started to change. Maybe that was part of the problem – he hadn't noticed until it was too late to stop. His relationship with Lucy had always been, and continued to be, a blurry sequence of colors and sounds, like watching an old lacrima film through a clouded lens with the volume turned down. Then there were other moments that burned so brightly in the back of his mind that he was surprised other people couldn't see it. Every sound, every scent, every touch, every look was a part of him.

There was the day he, Happy, and Lucy had met. The day they'd become a team. The day Lucy was kidnapped by Phantom Lord. There was the time they'd been accidentally transported to Edolas. The time they'd gone to Tenrou Island and everyone had nearly died.

The time she'd almost died during the Grand Magic Games.

The first time she'd found him sleeping in her apartment.

All of those memories were from a time when they were still _them_. As for the rest, Natsu couldn't be quite sure.

Were they still Natsu and Lucy when he'd passed the S-class exam? He thought so. As always, Lucy had been thrilled for him. She was always the first to encourage him, the first to congratulate him.

What about when she'd quit their team? Were they still a pair then? Natsu didn't know. He'd been furious with her. He didn't understand why she needed to in the first place. So what if she wasn't an S-class mage? She didn't need to be. He could protect her if it came down to that. And if he was incapacitated, Erza could take care of things. Hell, even _Gray_, cold idiot bastard that he was, could take care of her. What was the fun in going on missions if his best friend wasn't going to come along?

He hadn't spoken to her for quite some time. He felt _betrayed_, damn it. If she was too good for Team Natsu, then she was too good for Natsu Natsu. Of course, it hadn't taken Erza and Mirajane long to smack some sense into him. He and Lucy had gone right back to the way things were, just…different.

The clearest mark of a change in their relationship came with his exploration of female companionship. He'd never been as stupid as everyone assumed – much of his apparent idiocy stemmed from his complete lack of concern over issues others found important. And because he wasn't stupid, he had some (admittedly vague) concept of what relationships were supposed to entail. But none of it had really mattered to him – women seemed to be too much of an effort, and he was too lazy to care.

Until _her_. He never found out her name, and he barely even got a glance at her face. But he'd run into her on the street leading out of Magnolia one day. A cascade of dark hair covered her face, and she'd refused his silent offer of a hand to pull her up from the ground. She was gone before he could even apologize. But for whatever reason, the scent of that hair made his heart lurch, and the lines of her form made him realize for the first time just what exactly it was other guys had been getting so excited about.

It was fascinating. It was terrifying. It was confusing. So he went to Lucy. Lucy always had all the answers. Lucy could point him in the right direction.

And she did. Sometimes she laughed at him. Sometimes she sighed. Sometimes she punched him and threw him out of her apartment. But she listened, and she did her best to help. She set him up with girls she'd met in town. She giggled when they slapped him over some perceived slight. She looked amused any time he started babbling about the newest girl he'd met, and annoyed when he described women in slightly too much detail for her taste.

She told him when he'd done something inappropriate. She helped him get dressed. She gave advice as to restaurants, parks, walking paths, the best places to just sit and look at the stars.

Yes, things were certainly different by then. But it was a _good_ different.

And then there was Lisanna. Maybe it was silly, but Natsu thought for the rest of his life, he would separate his friendship with Lucy into a before and an after with Lisanna as the deciding factor.

He didn't know how it happened. One day, Lisanna was just Lisanna. She sometimes did silly things to get his attention, but he barely noticed. She was his childhood friend. She was nice. She was pretty. And that was as far as it went.

Then came the day that Lisanna wasn't just Lisanna any longer. He saw her face everywhere. He could feel her smile in his sleep. She suddenly consumed his thoughts. It was maddening.

Lucy, of course, had known right away. They had been on the couch in her apartment, and he'd made a clumsy effort at explaining how he was feeling. She hadn't said anything, which was odd – normally she gave him all the advice he needed.

But she had smiled. When Lisanna smiled, his heart did flips and his face flamed so much that he had turn away. When Lucy smiled, his heart didn't do flips, and his face didn't heat. When Lucy smiled, he knew things were okay. And he smiled back because he had figured it out on his own.

He'd pursued Lisanna with a vengeance. She pretended not to notice. Natsu wasn't by nature a vain creature, but that had confused him, too – every other girl he'd approached had agreed to at least go on a single date with him with absolutely no persuasion on his part. Lisanna required far more work. She obviously enjoyed his attention, but nothing seemed to work. He was still fairly certain she'd agreed to go on a single date with him just because he was starting to annoy her with his pestering.

To this day, he didn't know what they'd done or where they'd gone. But she'd kissed him when he walked her to her door. Like light hitting clear crystal, his mind had instantly burst into every color of the rainbow. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was it.

The first person he told was Lucy. Just like she had before, she smiled at him, happy to share in his joy. When she hugged him, the clean scent of her soap instantly centered him. Lucy tended to have that effect on him.

He didn't have many clear memories of Lucy after that. His mind had been crowded with Lisanna – her voice, her smile, her smell, the way she used her hands when she talked. She overwhelmed him, and it seemed natural that some of the time he'd once spent with his best friend was now spent with _the_ someone else. Lucy was still there when he went to the guild. They ate lunch, laughed together, watched Juvia stalk Gray relentlessly. He told himself that maybe the relationship was different, but not _bad _different.

Then one day, Natsu woke up beside Lisanna. He showered with Lisanna. They went into the guild together. He and Lisanna went on a mission. He and Lisanna ate. He used his key and let them into her apartment. He slept in her bed.

And he realized that there was no more Lucy in his life. Somehow, she'd gone missing from his life. He didn't turn to her for help. He didn't need her opinions. He didn't laugh with her or eat with her or do any of the things they'd always done together.

There had been more than a slight pang upon that realization. Things had changed and he hadn't even noticed. Had he just been clueless? Had Lucy noticed the changes? Had she encouraged them?

Did she even miss him at all?

Natsu had promised himself that the next day, he'd do better. He'd make time. He'd make sure that their connection hadn't been severed. He'd be a better friend, he told himself. And he'd make damn well sure he noticed everything from now on.

The next day came, and his good intentions flew out the window. Lucy wasn't there. Mira told him she'd gone out on a mission and would probably be back soon, and he fully intended to wait for her. But his life caught up. Lisanna wanted to do something, and he felt wrong in refusing. He loved her. That meant he owed her his attention whenever it was available, right?

He could still find Lucy. He could still go back. Just not that day.

Days spun into weeks, and his heart grew accustomed to seeing Lucy across a crowded room and offering up a smile and nothing more. She made no attempts to speak to him or even approach him. Obviously things had changed, and it wasn't her fault if he was having a little trouble accepting that.

Then came the day he'd never be able to forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"Natsu." Erza had shouted nearly the moment he'd entered the guild. "Come over here."

Having a very healthy appreciation for Erza's wrath, Natsu did as he was told. "What is it?" he asked, scratching absently at the back of his head.

Erza frowned. "Something's wrong with Lucy. Mira and I tried asking her, but she just keeps insisting that she's fine. I wondered if maybe you knew something we didn't." she explained.

He looked at her with some measure of confusion. "What do you mean, something's wrong with Lucy? She seems fine to me."

"Fine?" Erza questioned, one brow quirked in what might have been fury or concern, he wasn't sure which. "Have you even _seen_ her lately? She's been losing weight. Every time I see her outside of the guild, she's with some strange guy. She's never here, and when she is, she looks dead tired."

He tried to shrug it off. The only other option was to acknowledge that no, he hadn't been paying attention. "So she's dating again. Lucy's always gone through those phases." he said casually.

"This isn't a phase." Erza hissed. "Just look at her! It's barely ten in the morning and Mira tells me she's had six refills on her drink. Would the Lucy _you_ know ever be caught dead acting like that?"

He frowned. "Okay. Okay." Natsu ran a hand through his pink hair, causing it to stand on end. Shit. He'd been a worse friend than he thought. "Okay." he repeated one more time. "I'll take care of it." And he had headed in her direction.

He never doubted that she'd open up to him. He just didn't know how right he would be.

"What's your problem, Lucy?" In his concern, the question came out far more strongly than he'd intended it to.

"I don't have a problem." She had been succinct, far more so than he would have expected from her in her addled state.

He couldn't control his frown. "Don't lie to me, Lucy." he said sternly. "You haven't been acting like yourself. Mira and Erza are worried about you. Whatever it is, you need to snap out of it." If he'd been paying any attention, he would have worried as well. But she didn't care about that. She _should_ care about Erza and Mirajane though. Maybe the thought of their feelings would open her up.

"My, my. How unlike you to notice." Lucy's voice was sharp as she quickly drank what was left in her glass.

The first prickles of shame had crawled up his arms, but he was too proud to admit how close she was to the mark. And pride demanded he defend himself, no matter how right she was. "What in the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked angrily. He knew he was acting like a wounded animal caught in a trap, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

The small shrug she gave just made him angrier. "You're never around." she said simply. She obviously couldn't care less, and the only parts of him that weren't angry were hurt. Had his friendship meant so little? "You're usually with Lisanna. And when you _are _here, you never bother to speak to me past 'hello,' or maybe 'how's it going?' if I'm lucky. It's obvious I'm not important to you any longer, so I'm just shocked you even have the ability to notice that there's anything different about me."

It was all true. And he couldn't handle it. So like the wounded creature, he lashed out. His only thought was to injure her so she'd back off and he could tend to his own hurts. "_Seriously?_ _That's _what this is about?" Even he could hear the acid tone, but he was too concerned with his own pain to care about hers. "I can't believe that you, of all people, could be so jealous that you made yourself sick!"

Even as he said it, he knew that he was being an idiot. He couldn't admit it though. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

He did at least have the pleasure of seeing her jaw drop. "I'm _not_ sick." she said firmly. "And jealous? Jealous of what?"

His felt the sneer spread across his face, relished it. "Yeah, jealous." His voice was calculated to taunt, to wound her in all the ways she'd wounded him without even realizing it. "You can't _stand_ me being interested in any girl other than you. And you can't _stand_ being too weak of a mage to tag along with the rest of us any longer."

He'd known he was wrong. He felt it in his bones. He heard it in the complete silence that fell over their fascinated guild. And if he hadn't already known, Lucy's sudden and complete lack of color would have clued him in. An apology was almost to his lips when he was interrupted.

"Maybe you two should take this somewhere with a little more privacy." Mirajane said quietly, chewing her bottom lip nervously. "I'm sure you'd rather everyone not hear this."

"It's okay, Mira" Lucy reassured her with something resembling a smile. "This won't take long."

"Look, Lucy…" Natsu began, once again hoping to apologize. She beat him to it.

"Oh, no." Her voice was completely calm and utterly devoid of feeling. It made him sick to his stomach. "I'd rather everyone hear this now so nothing gets misreported by the gossip. So let's be perfectly clear. For the record, you think I'm upset with you and I've 'made myself sick' because I'm jealous of Lisanna. More importantly, you think I'm jealous because I harbor romantic feelings for you, correct?"

He became fascinated by the pattern of the floor. "Um. Yes." he said softly. He would never know why. If he'd been less of an idiot, he wouldn't have lied. He would have said to hell with his pride and apologized. But he didn't.

"Fine." Lucy waved it away as if she was completely unconcerned. "In addition, you think I'm jealous because you're a far better mage and probably always will be."

Even Natsu couldn't lie and say that he actually believed that. As low as he'd already stooped, he was fully prepared to take responsibility for that statement. He had gone too far. He knew it. And the venomous grin she sent him was enough to let him know, once and for all, that he had broken something precious.

"I'm sure you're _dying _to figure out once and for all just how poor, powerless Lucy feels." Her voice mocked him. And he had known that he would hear her in his dreams, mocking him further still. "That way you'll finally know what distance it's best to keep, and whether you can still be friendly towards pitiful Lucy, or if it's in her best interest to cut things off completely."

Yes, he was curious. He'd let things slip past his, true, but she hadn't made any effort. As cruel as he'd been, he thought that he deserved to know whether or not she'd ever wanted his friendship at all.

The punch to his nose took him entirely by surprise. Lucy wasn't the strongest person he knew, but it hurt like hell. He could feel the blood dripping down his face, and wouldn't have been at all surprised to find she'd broken his nose.

"You are a bastard." she said clearly. Everyone in the guild heard her, Natsu was sure. "All I wanted was my best friend back. S-class or not, single or not. None of that _ever_ mattered to me. All that mattered was that you were my _friend_." At that, she began to cry, and Natsu knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was scum. Absolute scum. His reasons didn't matter. He'd hurt her, and he couldn't take that back.

Her voice was quiet when she spoke again. "I just wanted a few minutes of your time every now and then. I could have been happy with that, as long as my friend was happy. But now that I know just how low your opinion of me is, it's obvious that I'm the only one who thought we were friends in the first place. So here's your answer, Natsu Dragneel. Cut things off completely. You broke pitiful little Lucy's pitiful little heart, and there's nothing you can do to fix it."

"Lucy!" At the time, he couldn't even fully comprehend what she had said. He just knew that he had made her cry. He'd made her feel worthless. He'd hurt her in every way possible. And he had to fix it. He scrambled to his feet, prepared to physically restrain her until he could convince her to listen to him. "Lucy, wait! I – "

She was gone, and she didn't look back. Gray, Gajeel, and Erza combined had to restrain him to make sure he didn't go after her.

"What have I done?" he mumbled to himself.

To his surprise, it was Mirajane who answered him. "You screwed up." she said calmly. "You heard her. You broke her heart. And we let you."

At her words, his head lifted in confusion. His own fault was clear, but theirs?

Gray smacked him. "Everyone but you knew something was up, dumbass." he said angrily, shoving him into a nearby seat. "You were clueless, but _we_ saw that something was wrong. And we did _nothing_. You're to blame for being a fuck-up of epic proportions. But the rest of us could have tried harder."

"Damn it." Natsu growled, practically launching himself out of his seat. "I have to find her. I have to –" Suddenly, Erza was blocking his path. "Move it." he hissed, attempting to shove her out of the way in his panic.

"Natsu, if you go anywhere _near_ Lucy before I tell you you can, I will end your very existence." Erza snapped, her eyes furious. "She needs comforting, yes, but _you_ don't deserve that luxury. She has every right to be mad at you, and I won't let you hurt her any more than you already have."

Recognizing the truth to her words, Natsu sunk to the floor. "Damn it. _Damn it_. Fine, I get it. Just go make sure she's okay. Please."

Erza's eyes were grim as she nodded. "I plan on it. Mira, Levy, I would like you two to accompany me. And as for you, Natsu…until further notice, you are banned from Fairy Tail. You should leave now."

He was too upset to even feel shocked. "Okay. How long am I out for?" he asked dully.

"Oh, I think Lucy should be the one to decide that." Mirajane interjected. "You can come back when she comes with you."

"An excellent idea, Mira." There was a ghost of a smile around Erza's mouth. "You heard her, Natsu. Now leave."

The only thing left was for him to do as he was told.

The next few weeks were pure torture. Erza informed him of her great displeasure should he attempt to disturb Lucy. However, she said nothing about stalking her – Natsu figured that falling prostrate at her feet when she left her apartment to buy food wasn't strictly against the rules. But Lucy never left. No one from the guild was speaking to him, the sole exception being Erza. Lisanna changed her locks. And Happy, who had long ago formed his own household with Charle, had informed him that he had been disowned. Natsu was too depressed to even argue that that was an impossible thing, seeing as how out of the two of them _he_ was the parent figure.

But he thought his luck had changed when Mirajane cornered him on Lucy's doorstep. "You can try. Everything else is up to Lucy." was all she said, but Natsu could feel some of the pressure lifting.

Almost immediately, he'd tried her bedroom window. It was unlocked. If Lucy had been angry, she would have kept it locked, or so he thought. As he settled himself into a chair, he heard her moving about in another room. He decided to wait for her, and in moments, the stress of the past few weeks had him drifting off to sleep.

All too soon, that sleep was interrupted by a light shove. Even as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he knew it was her. And he could smell her anger and her annoyance.

But he tried. Whatever else could be said about him, he did try. He plead his case. And it wasn't enough. She'd forgiven him, yes. But she didn't trust him.

She didn't _want_ to trust him. With all her speeches about him breaking her heart, how could she not realize that she had shattered his? To know, once and for all, that he was fully at fault was nearly unbearable. She'd made some mistakes – the most important one being her assumption that he hadn't missed her or her company – but even that was mostly his fault. But she couldn't trust him, and that made him realize just how much he'd carelessly thrown away.

She wasn't cruel. Even in her sadness and her pain, she didn't know how to be. She offered to get him back into the guild – as if that mattered right now – and to let him try and prove her wrong about him. But she wanted – _needed_ – space and time away from him. And her smile was sad. It told him everything he needed to know.

There could be no going back.

So he did what she wanted. When she told him to stop by her apartment, he did. When she pulled him to sit next to her at lunch, he let her. He laughed when she made jokes. And while they pretended that everything was just fine, he grew to despise himself more and more.

It was a relief when Lisanna broke up with him. She loved him, he knew, but the time where he could exist solely for her was gone. She didn't understand why he'd done what he'd done. And she couldn't understand who he was becoming.

The weight lifted when Lisanna said goodbye. She was better off, and so was he. But that weight grew even lighter as he and Lucy made a show of drifting further apart once more. Being near her was physically painful. The only person who could have been happier when they both decided to throw themselves into their work was Lucy herself.

He could see the weight lifting for her as well. And that was when he decided to leave. Maybe if he left, they could both recover. And if and when he returned, they would have a shot at returning to something that wasn't just the sound of a heart breaking over and over again.

He told the master that he wanted to go away, as far as he could manage and for as long as he could. Makarov was initially unwilling to even consider the idea. He insisted that Natsu wasn't ready for the five year mission on his own. Natsu didn't care. And, recognizing that eventually he would just leave without warning, the master relented. The condition was that Gray and Erza both accompany him. Between the three of them, they estimated they would be back in about a year. Everyone insisted that was enough time, but nobody mentioned that he and Lucy would both be using that time to heal.

Once they were the best of friends. Now they were a taboo. So it was only natural that Lucy didn't see him off as he left the guild with his two companions. He told himself he had a year to learn how not to care. Somehow, things would be easier in a year.

* * *

Except things weren't any easier now than they had been before. As the train pulled into the station, Natsu found himself doing everything possible to slow their progress. He took as long as possible to scrub his skin clean of Gray's doodles. He pretended to lose the little luggage he'd brought along. He even contemplated running somewhere, anywhere, until he was so far away they'd never find him.

But it wasn't to be. Gray and Erza practically dragged him from the station, and in no time at all, they were standing in front of Fairy Tail itself.

"Go on, you coward." Gray elbowed him, but his expression was almost concerned. "She doesn't bite."

"I think we should wait until you put some clothes back on." Natsu said desperately, unsure if the ice mage had even been up to his usual clothing-related tricks or not. Thankfully, he was missing several articles of clothing like normal. "Juvia might faint otherwise." For the first time, a small smirk crossed the pink-haired man's face. "You know how she gets."

"Juvia will be fine. She's seen Gray naked before." Erza insisted, ignoring Gray's bright flush. It was common knowledge that the two mages were interested in one another. They were just too awkward to work up to courage to _get_ anywhere. "Now quit stalling, Natsu. You can't avoid her forever."

Sure enough, as they walked through the doors, his eyes found her immediately. In the split second before the guild erupted into cheers, he watched her avidly. She was turned away from him, but he could see her profile. And she was smiling. Maybe it wasn't the smile he knew and loved, but it wasn't the one that made it hard for him to watch. As his stomach kicked up a fuss, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, she was willing to let the past stay in the past. All he wanted now was to move on.

"They're back!" the first voice cried, and his moment of reflection was lost. Immediately, all three mages were surrounded, and it was hard to pick out individuals in the mass of people. Natsu said all the right things, exchanged hugs or punches where appropriate, but his eye frantically looked for a shock of blonde hair and a pair of big brown eyes.

And he found them. It took twenty minutes, but he found her. She met his eyes. His heart lurched too violently for him to form words.

But she smiled. And though her voice had a slight catch to it, it was there. "Hello, Natsu."

He had to clear his throat several times before he could make it work. And even when the words came, they were nothing eloquent. "Hi, Lucy."

It was enough for now.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for the truly wonderful response to the first chapter! This one is another long, dramatic one, but we should be fairly humorous from here on out. I am not the most regular of updaters, so check back often for new content. I'd love to hear from you guys, so drop by and leave me a review or two if you like!**


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